Hello my friend Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your daily reading of the Bible from a progressive point of view.

In a bit I will read the New Testament lesson selected from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.

The reading is understandable.

I use the message version relatable.

Please listen to the points to ponder and applicable with action steps you can take.

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Here's today's reading.

Reading today from the Gospel of Luke 24:44 53 from the Message you are the witnesses.

Then he said, everything I told you while I was with you comes down to this.

All the things written about me and the law of Moses and the prophets and of the Psalms have to be fulfilled.

He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.

He said, you can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations, starting from here, from Jerusalem.

You're the first to hear it and see it.

You're the witnesses.

What comes next is very important.

I'm sending what my Father promised to you.

So stay here in the city until he arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high.

Then he led them out of the city over to Bethany, raising his hands, he blessed them, and while blessing them, he made his exit being carried up to heaven.

And while they were on their knees worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy.

They spent all their time in the temple praising God.

Yes, well, this is an important passage of scripture here.

I'm glad you're here with me today.

This comes at the very end of of Luke's Gospel.

It's what are you.

It's the last scene, maybe kind of like closing credits in a movie or something like that, if you will.

And Luke really, you know, he drives on the points, sticks the landing if you will, and just kind of gets me and I let's get into some go a little deeper with a couple of points to Ponder about this.

First, notice what Jesus says the whole story comes down to.

It's not a doctrinal statement.

It's not a loyalty test.

He says the point of everything is total life change through the forgiveness of sins proclaimed to all nations.

All nations, all people.

Not some nations, not some select few, not the nations that look like us or talk like us or believe like us or vote like us.

All of them.

And it starts from here, from right where you are in Jerusalem.

In their case, in our case, it's where we are at from a progressive point of view.

Progressive faith takes this statement of universality seriously.

The good news isn't something we hoard or gatekeep or attach conditions to.

It's a total life change offered to everyone, everywhere.

When I do my cancer related podcast each week, I talk with people from all kinds of backgrounds, all kinds of belief systems, and I can tell you the human hunger for transformation and forgiveness doesn't check your background or your credentials or your church or your makeup at the door.

People everywhere ache for a fresh start.

And Jesus says, that's exactly what this whole thing is about.

It's for every single nation, every single person.

No asterisks, no fine point, everybody.

Second point to ponder.

And this is the detail that gets me, and I just want to share it with you.

It says here, while blessing them, he made his exit.

Wow, talk about drama.

He was still blessing them as he left.

And his last act wasn't a warning.

It wasn't a list of rules.

It wasn't a guilt trip.

It was a blessing.

Here's what I think matters about that the disciples had to learn to live in the continuation of that blessing that they received from someone who's no longer physically present.

That's the Christian life, my friend.

We're living in the ongoing flow of blessings that didn't stop just because we can't see the one who gave it to us.

I've been married for over 34 years, and I learned something about marriage in that time.

And there are moments when my wife and I, well, can say something encouraging to me before I even hear it, really verbally.

It's a look, it's emotion, It's a thing.

And I carry those things with me for hours.

The voice isn't even still speaking, but the blessing is still active.

That's what's happening here.

Jesus blesses them and that blessing keeps moving through them and out into the world.

And look at the result.

They return to Jerusalem.

It says, bursting with joy.

No, burdened, not anxious.

Joyful.

And the blessing did this work.

My wife and I were out on a hike recently in a wooded trail and along the trail there was a clearing and just some beautiful flowers and some beautiful things there.

A stunning view.

It's kind of like the whole hike have been kind of building towards that something which we weren't really expecting but it was beautiful.

This passage from the Gospel of Luke is kind of like that.

It's been building towards this concluding moment and it ends not with drama or disaster, but with a blessing and joy and praise.

That's kind of the trail that Luke takes us on.

He's been walking down with us.

So let's talk about an action, a step that you can take.

It's simple.

Bless someone on your way out today.

Like the last word you say to somebody as you're leaving a room or leaving a home or leaving a conversation on the phone, just give him a word of encouragement, a blessing, a kind thing to say or some act or word of genuine love.

Don't let your exit be complaining or a critique or even a click of the phone or something like that.

Make it a blessing.

If Jesus, if Jesus thought it was important enough to be his final act on earth, maybe we should take it seriously enough in our life and just our everyday life to give somebody a blessing too.

Well, we're have a blessing, a time of prayer here.

Just a second.

Before we do, we've got another blessing for you which is our at home Bible study plan.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Plan.

Just head on over to our website voiceofgoddaily.com it's a free gift to you to bless you.

Let's pray.

God, what a way to end a story with hands raised and a blessing that hasn't stopped.

We want to live like the people who are still being blessed even when we can't see you in the way.

We wish we could.

Help us carry that blessing into every room we enter and every conversation we have.

And expand our understanding of all nations and make it bigger than we're comfortable with.

Because we know your love is bigger than we're comfortable with.

Teach us to leave people better than we found them and to fill us with that same ridiculous knee buckling joy the disciples felt walking back to Jerusalem.

We could really use some of that today, couldn't we?

Thank you for not leaving us with a lecture.

Thank you for leaving us with a blessing and help us to go and to do the same.

Amen.

My friend, I am delighted you chose to join me for today's.

Reading.

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My name is Dr. Brad Miller and I'll be right here tomorrow with your Daily Bible Refresh.

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Remember, God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.